Jefferson County man sentenced for drug trafficking

A 37-year-old Beaumont man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales.

Curtis Duane Butcher pleaded guilty on April 19, 2012, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute between 100 and 1,000 kilograms of marijuana and was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison on Aug. 30, 2012, by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone.

According to information presented in court, from February to June 2011, Butcher sold cocaine on 10 different occasions to confidential informants working with law enforcement on a major drug trafficking investigation in Beaumont. May 3, 2011, Butcher was observed to be the driver of the lead vehicle driving in tandem with another vehicle from Houston. Both vehicles were stopped and 40.4 pounds of marijuana was discovered in the second vehicle. A court ordered wiretap was issued in July 2011 enabling law enforcement authorities to conduct surveillance on Butcher’s activities revealing a large-scale narcotics trafficking organization. As a result, on Aug. 17, 2011, a search warrant was executed at a Beaumont residence during which officers discovered 1.8 pounds of marijuana and over $20,000 in cash in the residence and on Butcher. Butcher was arrested and later released pending federal charges. Wiretap surveillance of Butcher while he was released on bond indicated he was continuing to manage and supervise his drug trafficking enterprise, negotiating 553 kilograms of marijuana and six kilograms of cocaine from July 2011 to October 2011. Butcher was indicted by a federal grand jury on Dec. 14, 2011.

This case was investigated by DEA and Beaumont Police Department as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. The OCDETF investigates and prosecutes those persons who transport illegal narcotics into and throughout the United States. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Englade.